Rocket.Chat
Self-hosted team messaging — channels, video, and compliance.
MIT-licensed alternative to Slack and Mattermost with end-to-end encryption, Omnichannel, apps marketplace, and FedRAMP-ready compliance.
Mattermost
Secure team collaboration — messaging, playbooks, and integrations.
MIT-licensed alternative to Slack with channels, threads, webhooks, Jira/GitHub integrations, and Playbooks for incident response. Desktop and mobile apps.
Element
Matrix-based team messaging — decentralized and end-to-end encrypted.
Element is an open-source, end-to-end encrypted collaboration client built on the decentralized Matrix protocol, so it can federate across independent servers rather than relying on one company's infrastructure. AGPL-3.0 licensed.
Fluxer
Discord-style chat for communities — messaging, voice, and video, self-hostable.
Fluxer is a free, open-source instant messaging and VoIP platform for friends, groups, and communities, styled after Discord. AGPL-3.0 licensed with self-hosting support.
Campfire
Simple self-hosted group chat from 37signals — one-time, MIT-licensed, no subscription.
Campfire is a simple, self-hosted group chat application from 37signals, released as open source under the MIT license in 2025. It's deliberately minimal — @mentions, DMs, rooms — with no recurring subscription.
Cinny
Elegant Matrix client — end-to-end encrypted, clean interface.
Cinny is an open-source Matrix client focused on a simple, elegant interface for end-to-end encrypted conversations. AGPL-3.0 licensed, it connects to any Matrix homeserver.
Stoat
Self-hostable Discord alternative (formerly Revolt) — servers, channels, voice.
Stoat (formerly Revolt) is an open-source, self-hostable group chat platform styled after Discord — servers, channels, voice, and moderation — built in the EU with no ads or data mining. Self-hosted components are AGPL-3.0 licensed.
Quiet
Peer-to-peer team chat over Tor — no servers, no phone number, no metadata.
Quiet is an open-source, peer-to-peer team chat that syncs messages directly between devices over Tor, with no central server, no phone number, and no metadata collection. GPL-3.0 licensed.
Compare Discord alternatives
| Tool | Stars | Forks | License | Self-hosted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocket.Chat | 45.4K | 13.6K | MIT | Yes |
| Mattermost | 36.9K | 8.7K | MIT | Yes |
| Element | 13.3K | 2.7K | AGPL-3.0 | Yes |
| Fluxer | 9.5K | 632 | AGPL-3.0 | Yes |
| Campfire | 4.4K | 747 | MIT | Yes |
| Cinny | 3.8K | 551 | AGPL-3.0 | Yes |
| Stoat | 3.1K | 367 | AGPL-3.0 | Yes |
| Quiet | 2.6K | 141 | GPL-3.0 | Yes |
Discord is a proprietary chat platform popular with gaming and online communities. It's free to use but closed source, ad-supported at scale, and your community's data and history live entirely on Discord's servers. Open-source alternatives let you self-host and own your community's data.
For the closest Discord-style community experience — servers, channels, voice — Fluxer and Stoat (formerly Revolt) are the most direct matches. If you want federation and end-to-end encryption, Element and Cinny are built on the Matrix protocol. Rocket.Chat and Mattermost lean more toward workplace teams than communities but are fully capable self-hosted options. For maximum privacy, Quiet syncs peer-to-peer over Tor with no central server at all, and Campfire is a minimal, no-frills option.
FAQ
Is there a free, open-source alternative to Discord?
Yes. Fluxer, Stoat, Element, and Cinny are all open source and free to self-host or use, with a community-chat experience.
What's the closest open-source alternative to Discord for communities?
Fluxer and Stoat most closely replicate Discord's servers-and-channels community model. Note that Stoat is not end-to-end encrypted and is a relatively young project.
Are there end-to-end encrypted Discord alternatives?
Element and Cinny, both built on Matrix, offer end-to-end encryption, and Quiet uses a serverless peer-to-peer design over Tor. Most Discord-style community tools prioritize openness over confidential messaging.
What are the top open-source alternatives to Discord?
Browse all open-source alternatives to Discord above, or explore the Communication & Community category.